Thursday, 5 May 2011

Dutch engineer admitted on Thursday to killing his next-door neighbour Joanna Yeates but denied murder, in a high-profile case which has captivated Britain.Vincent Tabak, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a plea delivered by videolink from jail to a hearing at the Old Bailey court in London.However, he pleaded not guilty to a further charge of murder and was remanded in custody to face trial on that charge at Bristol Crown Court on October 4.Yeates, a 25-year-old landscape architect, disappeared in Bristol on December 17 after going for drinks with colleagues from work. After a huge manhunt, her frozen body was found dumped on a country road on December 25.Tabak is currently being held at Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire. He appeared on the videolink wearing a dark suit, dark tie and glasses, as Yeates' parents David and Theresa looked on in the court.He spoke to confirm his name and to confirm he did not need an interpreter, before entering his pleas. His trial is expected to last four weeks.Tabak was registered as living with his girlfriend in a flat next door to the apartment occupied by Yeates and her boyfriend in the Clifton area of Bristol.